Under the Mistletoe
by adi-dion
Summary: Regina doesn't do traditions. Or so she claimed. Set during the missing year, some Outlaw Queen Christmas fluff :)


**Written for my lovely Bea (aka ****Verkaiking), for the Outlaw Queen Secret Santa exchange x**

* * *

She'd stopped listening a while ago; this council meeting seemed to be the longest one so far. Regina's mind trailed off to the weather outside; the snow must be heavily piled up on the castle's grounds by now.

It was almost Christmas time, _the season to be jolly, _and all kinds of cheerful clichés. Only, there was everything but joy left in the Queen's heart.

Christmas was family time, theirtime– hers and Henry's. Regina would make sure to lay off the mayoral duties (even though Storybrooke was cursed under her own curse, she still had work to do as the mayor) and get carried away with her son's enthusiasm and excitement over the cheerful season.

This year, however, everything was different.

Henry was now lost to her forever and Regina found herself having to face the 'jolly' holiday without him by her side. She couldn't help thinking about Henry spending _their_ holiday together with Emma, who was now the only mother he knew; he had memories of a lifetime, _their lifetime_, etched into his mind but he didn't remember anything about her. All memories of her had been replaced with Emma. Regina's heart clenched at that thought.

Even though Christmas was foreign back in the Enchanted Forest, Snow White, not surprisingly, insisted to keep the holiday tradition, decorating the castle with joyful colours of green and red (much to Regina's displease. She still had no clue why she ever agreed to her step-daughter's ridiculous idea, but she knew better than to fight against Snow when it came to celebrations).

"Regina?"

Tearing herself from her own thoughts, Regina turned to face the pregnant woman sitting across the table, who was sending her step-mother a worried glance.

"That will be all for today," the Queen replied too harshly, standing up and heading straight for the door before anyone could come up with another pressing issue, or follow her out.

And by following her out, she thought about one man in particular– Robin Hood. The outlaw started a tradition of his own lately: accompanying her out of council meetings, most days without so much as a single word until they reached her chamber. Even though she hated his company more than anything, Regina had to admit she appreciated he hadn't felt the need to fill the silence between them.

Today was one of her successful days, managing to avoid the man as she headed straight to her bedchamber.

Something caught her eye as she walked passed the great hall and for the first time, she noticed it wasn't empty anymore. It made Regina halt in her steps, taking a moment to look at the sight that revealed itself in front of her eyes.

Not even a moment later, something crashed against her legs, almost causing her to lose her balance. _Roland_, she realised as she looked down and saw a mop of dark hair, the little boy smiling his adorable, charming dimpled smile.

As insufferable as his father was, Regina found that Robin's son was very charming, to say the least. She was reluctant, at first, to accept the boy's endless affection, for he was a constant reminder of everything she lost; of her son, who Regina would never be able to see again. However, the Queen wouldn't be able to resist little Roland's presence for much longer. He was as stubborn as his father, and she didn't have the heart to disappoint such an innocent young kid, who had done nothing but show her his affection since the day she'd saved him from her sister's flying monkey. The special bond between them grew stronger with each day that passed, and Regina slowly learned to take comfort in his presence.

"Regina, what's this funny tree?" he asked, looking up at her with his big, dark eyes, pointing towards the great hall. Inside there was a large Christmas tree, already fully decorated, its lights so cheerfully (_and sickly_, she thought) bright.

Not wanting to upset the boy with her sadness (every time she showed any signs of sadness, Roland was upset too, lending her his monkey toy to cheer her up), Regina put on her happy face, trying to cover up the misery she felt.

"That is a Christmas tree, Roland," she said as she crouched down and picked him up, taking the boy to have a better look at the tree. "Christmas is a very special holiday in our land, time you spend with your family, and Princess Snow thought we could bring the holiday spirit here."

Her explanation seemed to satisfy Roland as an enthusiastic '_Oooo_!' sound filled the hall when Regina stopped in front of the huge tree.

"Am I your family? I want to spend that Christmas thing with you!" His question surprised Regina and she didn't know how to answer it. She loved him, of course, her mother instincts immediately kicked in whenever she was near him; he was the sole reason she'd managed to put a smile on her face after losing Henry, but she wasn't his mother. In fact, she was far from being one to him. "Papa says family is not just blood. Like Little John and papa's friends are my family!" he continued, and it gave Regina the opportunity to avoid directly answering his first question.

"Your papa is right," she said, her voice barely above a whisper, thinking about Henry. _Always thinking about Henry_.

"What's _that_?" Roland changed the subject as he pointed at the ceiling then, just near the spot where they stood, taking her mind off her son (she was thankful for how distracted kids were at such a young age). Regina smiled, striding to stand just below the green decoration. "A mistletoe," she smiled. "Do you want to know what people do when they stand under one of those? They kiss," she told him after he curiously nodded his head at her question.

Roland wrapped his tiny arms around her, blowing the biggest wet kiss on her cheek when he realised what it meant to stand under the mistletoe. Regina was quick to return the kiss, laughing.

"Do you have presents?" He inquired immediately, as every other 5 year old kid would like to know and Regina tapped his nose.

"Of course. There's a lovely man called Santa who brings gifts for all the kids on Christmas Eve."

"Do I get presents from Santa too, Regina?" He asked, a bit shy but excited, his eyes turning so bright and big at that mere thought.

"That depends," Regina teased. "Have you been a good boy for your daddy this year?" She asked with a smile, tickling his belly.

Roland's giggles filled the empty hall with so much joy, it was like music to her ears every time this sound echoed around the castle. The boy in her arms didn't hesitate before nodding his head, quickly and eagerly, then stretched his neck to look behind Regina. "Right, papa?"

That was when Regina turned around, only then realising Robin had been standing there, for who knew how long, watching the two bonding. She awkwardly tried to look away from the man, who was now approaching them.

"Indeed you were," Robin grinned at his son, taking him from the Queen's arms when the boy reached out for him. "I'm sure Santa would love to pay you a visit this year."

"Good," Regina mumbled under her breath before adding quietly, "At least one of you is behaving."

The outlaw raised an eyebrow at the Queen's comment, intending to bite back, but Roland suddenly giggled again. Both adults gave him an amused glance before he called out '_Daddy!'_

"What is it, my boy?"

"You have to kiss Regina now, Daddy, look!" He pointed towards the ceiling and Regina mentally kicked herself, having completely forgotten they were still standing under the mistletoe. She took a quick step aside, avoiding the direct spot under the decoration. Robin's eyes followed Roland's before they fell back on the woman in front of him, meeting her gaze with a half amused grin.

"There's no need for that, Roland–" Regina started, only to be interrupted by the boy.

"But you said it's a rule!"

"It's not a _rule_," she sighed, "Just a tradition. No one is forced to kiss anyone."

"Who says I'm being forced?" The outlaw boldly challenged her, and Regina's expression immediately changed at his words.

This caught her unprepared and Regina did nothing more than gape at the man for a few (too long) moments, swallowing the lump in her throat. She almost, _almost_, just for one second gave into the temptation, but she came back to her senses quickly enough. "It's been a long day," she said at last, covering her bewildered and mixed emotions under her queenly tone. "Goodnight, Roland," she said gently, patting the boy's back.

Regina walked straight passed the father and son, ignoring Robin's disappointed but satisfied glance. It wasn't too often that someone left the Queen speechless and the outlaw had managed to do so countless of times already.

And she absolutely _hated it_.

* * *

"Your Majesty," Robin's voice came from behind her the following day, as everyone was leaving another long council meeting. Regina froze on the spot, letting out a frustrated sigh. "Can I have a word?"

Before she turned to face the thief, Regina's eyes met Snow's as the princess and her husband walked by. Her step-daughter was in a cheerful mood, more than usual, and she was completely smug, which made Regina suspiciously narrow her eyes in return to Snow White's smirk. She was not in the mood for the woman's silly games, so she waited for the couple to disappear out of her sight before turning to face the outlaw.

"_What_?"

"You still owe me that kiss," he said with a satisfied smirk on his lips as he stepped out of the room and strode across the hall, slowly making his way towards her.

"I owe you nothing," she snorted at him with scorn, however that attitude has never put him off before, and it didn't stop the over-confident man from stepping closer, and closer still, until their bodies were mere inches from each other.

"What are you doing, thief?"

"Well, it's a tradition," he replied, with a small lopsided smile. "I would hate to disappoint."

"I don't do _traditions_."

"And I'm afraid I am a man of honour and traditions, milady," the outlaw challenged back, always trying to get a rise out of her. "It would be a shame to deny it twice in a row now, wouldn't it?" He almost broke into a laugh as his words sank in and Regina finally looked up above their heads.

_Great_.

They were standing under a mistletoe, again. Regina closed her eyes, feeling an urge to strangle the princess for tricking her. When she opened them, the outlaw was close, _too close now_, and he smiled, slowly leaning in. The Queen's knees were weak and anticipation grew in her stomach as she imagined what it would be like to have his lips on her. Would they be soft and tender, or rough and pressed hard against hers? Regina was suddenly very aware of her heart beating faster inside her chest. In that moment she was thankful for her stubborn step-daughter, who had talked her into putting the organ back in its place the day they arrived back in the Enchanted Forest. At the same time, she hated herself for being frozen in place, for not being able to push the outlaw away as she should, but deep inside, she actually _wanted _him to kiss her; she wanted _him_, all of him– this insufferable, irritating thief.

His lips touched her skin, but they did not land on her lips as she had expected. Instead, Robin pressed a gentle kiss at the corner of her mouth, and disappointment quickly washed over her. This was not what she wanted, certainly not what she needed and so against her better judgment, the Queen pulled the lapels of his shirt and crashed her lips against his, her tongue immediately finding the seam of his lips, seeking access to his mouth, and he let her– needing her as much as she needed him.

It was a battle of passion as both sides poured every bit of frustration into the kiss. After such a long time of bantering and provoking each other, feeling something else was almost liberating. There was no denying that there was an unexplainable pull between them that they both felt and finally, _finally_ they chose to act upon it.

With a swift motion, the outlaw pulled her closer to him, his other hand quickly finding its way into her hair, burying his fingers in the softness of her curls as they kissed, and kissed, neither one willing to let go just yet and face the consequences of their hasty decision.

Eventually, feeling the need for air, Robin gently eased them down, leaving small pecks on her lips before pulling away.

Surely, she thought as she breathed heavily against his skin, the outlaw was preparing himself for a blow; some harsh reaction on her part once she'd realise what just happened. But the Queen's hit never came. Regina showed no signs of pulling herself away, nor any signs she was going to snap at him any second now.

That was the moment the outlaw ventured, taking his opportunity to bite her back. "It seems like someone is more into tradition than she said," he smirked, trying to catch his breath.

"Shut up," Regina murmured breathlessly as her lips teasingly hovered closely over his, not quite touching but not pulling away either as a small smirk slowly formed on her lips. She was lost in a blissful haze, not wanting to move an inch as not to ruin the moment. The outlaw was certainly more likeable when he didn't speak.

Robin laughed, a throaty and breathless chuckle. "As you wish, Your Majesty," he teased back before capturing her swollen lips in another kiss, lighter and languid this time, yet still not lacking any passion or need.

* * *

This was how the Queen and the thief found themselves having their own Christmas tradition: bickering at each other in front of the others while looking for every opportunity to get caught under a mistletoe together, sharing stolen kisses throughout Christmas season whenever they had the chance.

Regina wasn't ready for others to know about her and the outlaw. Whether the Queen wasn't ready for the world to know she found a possible glimmer of hope for happiness, or it was simply as not wanting to admit she actually had feelings for the bandit who got under her skin, or a combination of both – Robin didn't try to push or question her reasons, simply taking what the Queen had to offer him.

Neither of them knew what would happen after Christmas, once they lost the sole excuse for their stolen kisses, but in the meantime, they had settled on this new tradition. The one thing they _did _know was that the pull they had was mutual, and for now – that was enough for them.


End file.
